Cleaner wrasse working on a dragon wrasse on a coral reef in Hawaii
The wrasses are a family, the Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 82 genera.[1]
They are usually small fish, mostly less than 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long, although the largest, the humphead wrasse, can measure up to 2.5 metres (8.2 ft).
Etymology
The word "wrasse" comes via Cornish from the Welsh word gwrach meaning an old woman or hag.[2]
Cleaner wrasses are the best-known of the cleaner fish.
Feeding methods
They are carnivores, feeding on a wide range of small invertebrates. Many smaller wrasses follow the feeding trails of larger fish, eating invertebrates left by big fish.[3]
Wrasses can put their jaws forwards, usually with separate jaw teeth that jut outwards.[4]
Many species can be recognized by their thick lips. The inside of these lips is curiously folded, which gave rise the German name of Lippfische. The dorsal fin has 8–21 spines and 6–21 soft rays, usually running most of the length of the back.
Wrasse are sexually dimorphic. Many species are capable of changing sex. Juveniles are a mix of males and females (known as Initial Phase or IP individuals) but the largest adults become territory-holding (Terminal Phase or TP) males.[4]
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Cowman, Peter F.; Bellwood, David R.; Van Herwerden, Lynne (2009). "Dating the evolutionary origins of wrasse lineages (Labridae) and the rise of trophic novelty on coral reefs". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 52 (3): 621–631. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.05.015. PMID19464378.
